Ever since Oakland sent (potentially) two first-round picks to Cincinnati in order to acquire Carson Palmer, there's been a fierce debate about whether or not they paid too much.

One of the reasons for concern is that many a pundit believes Palmer lost some the zing off his throw. An elbow surgery injury in 2008 coincides with the last time he averaged more than seven yards per attempt as well an obvious decline in production; his numbers in 2009 and 2010 aren't close to his 2005 and 2006 numbers, when he was arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

But Hue Jackson, the man who green-lit the deal to acquire Palmer, isn't trying to hear any of that business. In fact, he says Palmer's slinging the rock around like it was the good old days.

The Kansas City Chiefs will battle the Oakland Raiders this Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Which team has the advantage? NFL.com's Pat Kirwan joins Jason Horowitz to preview this AFC West matchup. Watch the game at 4:05 PM ET on CBS.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Jackson said about the speculation that Palmer lost strength and velocity. "He’s throwing the ball like you wouldn’t believe. Trust me, if he’s out there -- I mean, we wouldn’t have signed him if he couldn’t throw.

"I get surprised at those kinds of questions because I would never put the guy on the team or [trade] draft picks like that if he couldn’t throw the ball or he could not do or be what I think he has the potential to be."

Of course, everyone else is surprised because it seemed obvious that Palmer's skills declined after his elbow injury. And because Jackson gave up big-time draft picks in order to land him.

It might not matter; Palmer's an upgrade over Kyle Boller if he goes under the knife tomorrow. And as bad as everyone feels for Jason Campbell, Palmer's an upgrade over him too, even though he missed the first six weeks of the season.

But none of that is important -- Palmer can throw for 4,000 yards, or he can throw for 400, but if the Raiders don't make the playoffs this year or next, after giving up the pair of picks they did, then they lost the deal.

Imagine you get sick. You call your girlfriend to tell her that you’re sorry but you’re not going to be able to go with her to the ski resort this weekend. She says that’s no problem, she’ll just go with one of her friends. But when she scrolls through her contacts, she realizes she doesn’t have any friends nearby who are good skiers.

So, she calls to tell you to get well soon and also that she’s going to the ski resort with that guy her cousin knows from the gym. Oh, and the guy and her are moving in together after the trip but can the two of you still be friends? You can’t help but realize that if you’d never gotten sick, your girlfriend would not have started thinking about someone else.

If you can imagine this, then you can imagine how Jason Campbell is probably feeling right now. Let’s examine Jason Campbell’s Carson Palmer’s 4-2 Raiders as they head into their matchup against a Chiefs club that has won two straight coming off its bye but has been rocked by injuries and turmoil.

1. The DecisionForty-three million over four years, along with a first-and either first-or-second-round pick in exchange for a quarterback who became inconsistent after a slew of injuries and failed to manage the oversized personalities infiltrating his locker room and huddle in Cincinnati? That’s a steep price – probably too steep, in fact.

But you can understand the Raiders’ logic in going for a potential franchise quarterback. Like the skiing girlfriend, they’re attracted to strong-armed prototypes and are looking for a ring.

The Raiders knew they couldn’t get that ring with Campbell. Caretaking quarterbacks don’t cut it in today’s NFL. Campbell has always been too methodical in his reads and mechanics. He locks onto receivers, which limits what Hue Jackson can do with his gameplans. Campbell is athletic but seems to forget it whenever defenders flash in his face. In short, he has always been exactly what he’ll be when his collarbone heels: a quality backup. That said, when a team goes all-in like the Raiders have here, they’d better be set in virtually all areas around the quarterback.

So how set are the rest of the Raiders?

2. Pass offenseIt’s difficult to gauge Oakland’s passing attack because it has been tailored to hide Campbell’s limitations. But a safe assumption is that with Palmer aboard (whenever he does play), it will become downfield oriented. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore might be the fastest receiving trio in the league. Also, tight end Kevin Boss is not fast, but he’s effective stretching the seams.

Still, speed isn’t everything. The Raiders wideouts all remain raw. Heyward-Bey’s elevated reception total has been partly a function of facing favorable off-coverage. His hands are improved but still not naturally soft. As for Ford, durability and route running can be hit or miss. And Moore? He has done next to nothing since his breakout game at Buffalo.

Still, we’ve seen that (when healthy) these guys can give the Raiders firepower. And because Darren McFadden and fullback Marcel Reese are such dynamic weapons out of the backfield, Hue Jackson can comfortably sacrifice an extra receiver in the formation in order to employ a sixth offensive lineman.

Doing this makes for a better play-action game (a run-oriented team throwing out of a run formation) and also ameliorates right tackle Khalif Barnes’ weakness in pass protection.

3. Run offenseMcFadden has blossomed into a legitimate top-five running back. The difference between now and two years ago is he’s staying healthy and has figured out how to get to the perimeter early in the run. That’s important because being such a stiff-hipped, straight-line runner, McFadden doesn’t have the type of agility and lateral burst needed to elude defenders at the line of scrimmage or second level. But he has uncanny speed and acceleration, which, when turned on full blast, make him hard to tackle cleanly.

The Raiders blockers have helped ignite Oakland’s explosive outside run game. Rookie guard Stefan Wisniewski has good movement skills (particularly in short areas) and center Samson Satele has been getting out in front with much greater consistency.

The Raiders also spend a lot of time in six-offensive linemen sets, with the nimble Khalif Barnes serving essentially as a 325-pound blocking tight end. Factor in Michael Bush’s between-the-tackles power and you have the making of a potent, sustainable rushing attack.

4. DefenseWhen the Raiders don’t surrender big plays they’re tough to trade blows with for four quarters. The defensive line is enormous and athletic, particularly inside where Richard Seymour (future Hall of Famer?) and Tommy Kelly present thundering power augmented by uncommon initial quickness. The key to creating big plays against Oakland is isolating their linebackers.

Middle linebacker Rolando McClain plays slow (both mentally and physically) and can be exploited. Aaron Curry has only been in town one week, but if his track record from Seattle means anything, he too can be exploited, mainly in space outside the numbers or when forced to cover receivers horizontally. It’s surprising that Curry was handed Quinton Groves' job right away (Groves had been up and down but was getting more comfortable).

The secondary does indeed miss Nnamdi Asomugha, but any secondary would miss Nnamdi Asomugha. Stanford Routt has been adequate on the left side, and the versatile Michael Huff is having the best season of his career. Anytime a team plays predominant man coverage (like the Raiders do), the defensive backs are vulnerable. A pass-rush can help relieve this. The Raiders have great interior rushers but could stand to use a little more speed on the edges.

5. Kansas City’s chancesThe question is whether the Chiefs can find some sort of run game without Jamaal Charles. So far, the answer has been no. Don’t expect that to change Sunday; Oakland’s defensive tackles should feast on Kansas City’s struggling interior line.

In the air, teams have been attacking the Raiders defense with play action and rollouts. Matt Cassel has the mobility and arm to make throws on the move (he did so frequently against the Vikings) but that’s usually by circumstance, not design. This is a shotgun passing offense, with success hinging on whether Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston can separate from Stanford Routt and DeMarcus Van Dyke (or Chris Johnson or Chimdi Chekwa, should either return from their hamstring injuries).

On the other side of the ball, Tamba Hali is one of the most disruptive players in all the land. He plays with perfect leverage and physically strong quickness in all cardinal directions. The Raiders don’t have anyone who can block him. Hali can’t do it alone, though, which is why Justin Houston needs to play with more decisiveness (tough to ask of a rookie sometimes). Kansas City’s secondary misses Eric Berry but has two physical corners (Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers) who can compensate, especially against raw wideouts.

Palmer was traded from Cincinnati to Oakland on Tuesday for a pair of early-round picks (at least a 2012 first-rounder) and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Wednesday that the Raiders will give Palmer the start against the Chiefs in Week 7, just five days after acquiring him.

Palmer's familiar with Hue Jackson's scheme as he worked with Jackson in Cincinnati, and Palmer will get three days to work with the first-team offense. Additionally, the Raiders have a guy that's arguably the best running back in the NFL in Darren McFadden leading the NFL's second-best rushing attack, as Oakland averages 160 rushing yards per game.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, surrender 119.6 rushing yards per game (21st in the NFL).

Ultimately, the Raiders decision hinges on this: does Palmer, with a limited playbook and only five days to get integrated with their team, give them a better chance to win against Kansas City than Boller does?

Or we could break down Hue Jackson calling it the "greatest trade in football." What?

"We were able to put together what I think is probably the greatest trade in football, in my opinion," Jackson said. "Obviously, I think everybody knows that we needed to go out and address our quarterback situation."

OK, look it was a great trade. And I don't mean "we bamboozled a team and got superb value" great, or "the biggest names in football involved blockbuster" great. I mean "where the hell did that come from and man that's crazy but they gave up WHAT?" great. That's great for the media and fans and blowing up everyone's Tuesday, but I'm not sure it's great for the Raiders.

We'll know that when Palmer gets on the field. Which leads us to wonder when, exactly, that will happen. Because Jackson was asked Tuesday if Palmer could start as early as Sunday versus the Chiefs, but declined to give an answer.

"You think I’m going to tell you that right now?" Jackson said to reporters on Tuesday. "You know me a little bit better than that. OK, you do try. All you guys try; I’m not going to let that out of the bag just yet but you guys be ready for anything from me. I think you know that.

"We’ll see as we continue to move through the week exactly where we are."

This weekend is a perfect time for the Raiders to have an impossible decision -- the Chiefs are 2-3, thanks to wins against the Colts and Vikings, are now just 2-3, and need this game badly to get back into the AFC West race.

Playing Kyle Boller will benefit them, and they'll probably end up getting to play against him -- expecting Palmer to be ready to start five days after being traded to Oakland just seems too crazy to be real.

But we also said the same thing about the Raiders trading for him in the first place.

The NFL trade deadline is usally a real stinker. Not this year -- the Raiders made an uber-aggressive play to pick up Carson Palmer from the Bengals and try to make a postseason run.

In exchange, they gave up a 2012 first-round pick and a conditional 2013 first-round pick (we have since learned it's a first-round pick only if the Raiders win at least one playoff game) to get a quarterback not named Kyle Boller.

Below, we break down what the Bengals got in return, if Oakland overpaid, who won and lost the deal, if Palmer makes the Raiders Super Bowl contenders, whether Al Davis would have approved of the deal, what this means for the Broncos and Kyle Orton.

Then Michael David Smith joins the show to break down Week 6 of NFL action and talk about the Lions first loss of the year.

WINNERSMike Brown -- I've been on record as saying Brown was a fool for letting Palmer get older without getting something in return for him, despite the fact that he's had ample opportunities to get a significant bounty -- see: the Cardinals overpaying for Kevin Kolb -- in return for someone who refused to play for his team. But this? This is highway robbery. This is Brown pulling off something no one saw coming and making his team better in the long run. Kudos to him for this.

Carson Palmer -- Guess Mike Brown *technically* caved to his demands huh? Sure, Brown would have been a damn fool to pass up what the Raiders gave, but Palmer's now released from the control of Brown and the Bengals and he gets to play football again. Plus, he's doing it for a team that's a contender, a coach he likes and knows, and he has a pile of weapons available that don't spend their time away from the field filming VH-1 shows.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore -- Put quite simply, they're not going to spend the rest of the year getting speared over the middle and/or trying not to have their ankles broken by a bunch of short-hoppers from Kyle Boller.

Hue Jackson -- Not because he gave up two first-rounders for Palmer. That was dumb. But it appears that Jackson's got the trust of everyone in the Raiders organization, since they just let him peddle the future of the franchise (two first-rounders) for a 31-year-old quarterback.

Jordan Palmer -- Guess who will "earn a backup job with the Raiders" come 2012? Yup, Carson's little bro (who, by the way, I loved at UTEP) is a lock to be holding Kyle Boller's clipboard next season.

LOSERS

Jason Campbell -- He's now most likely played his final snap as a Oakland Raider and that means Campbell will be moving on to yet another offensive coordinator on yet another team. Few first-round quarterbacks have gotten as raw a deal as Campbell in terms of how they've been handled; ironically, he only needs to land in Cincinnati to hit the trifecta of dysfunctional franchises.

Oakland's Next General Manager -- The Raiders' first pick will likely be a compensatory pick near the third round in 2012, thanks to letting Nnamdi Asomugha leave for Philly. But their technical first pick right now is a fifth-rounder. Which means that whatever GM steps into fill Al Davis' shoes better really like a) not working in April and b) Carson Palmer.

Carson Palmer -- Yes, the classic winner and loser move! But hear me out: though Palmer is, as I wrote above, now released, he's also no longer getting to play golf every day and get drunk at USC tailgates on Saturdays. And yeah, he's in a position to make a run at the playoffs, but if he stinks in Oakland, things are going to get awkward for him with the fans and management. There's a lot of pressure.

San Diego Chargers -- They're currently 4-1 and the rest of the division was about to be starting Matt Cassel, Tim Tebow and Kyle Boller ... respectively. Without the Raiders making a move, the Chargers were going to waltz to a division title. Now they've got some stiffer competition -- if Palmer can get back his old mojo, Oakland could absolutely challenge for the AFC West crown.

Denver Broncos -- What the hell did they want for Orton exactly? You can't call the Raiders and say "give us a fourth-rounder and he's yours?" Wouldn't Oakland have done that in a heartbeat versus the deal they needed to get a 31-year-old Palmer who costs way more and isn't just a one-year rental? Are the Broncos actually going to play Orton? What is going on there? I thought Josh McDaniels left.

But Oakland found a way to pry Palmer away from the Bengals, dealing a 2012 first-round draft pick and a 2013 conditional first-round pick to the Bengals for the no-longer-retired quarterback. Reports indicate that the 2013 conditional pick is a first-round pick only if Oakland wins at least one playoff game.

CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman confirms that the trade -- as originally reported by Jay Glazer of Fox Sports -- is a done deal. Glazer noted that Hue Jackson's close relationship with Brown -- Jackson was the former wide receivers coach in Cincinnati -- helped grease the wheels.

What likely helped grease the wheels more? The first-round draft pick that the Raiders gave the Bengals ... because they had to. As Ryan noted yesterday, the Raiders aren't exactly stocked with draft picks these days, having already given up their second-, fourth- and seventh-round picks in trades, and used their third-round pick on Terrelle Pryor.

In other words, the Raiders only had one real pick of value in 2012 to give up, and they were apparently willing to move it in order to make themselves a contender for the remainder of the year.

More than anything, though, Mike Brown deserves a tremendous round of applause for absolutely crushing this scenario with Palmer. He called the quarterback's bluff, refused to deal the quarterback, landed a new franchise guy in Andy Dalton, and then when a team got really desperate, received two first-round picks in exchange.

The conditional pick is likely something that involves the Raiders making the postseason and/or riding Palmer to the Super Bowl; at least one would hope anyway. Otherwise, Oakland has, once again, undervalued draft picks.

Also worth noting: Jason Campbell's time as a Raider is now finished, for all intents and purposes. He's a free agent after this season and given the committment Oakland gave to Palmer plus Campbell's injury, it's hard to imagine him playing another snap for Oakland.

But the Denver Post, via the Contra Costa Times, is reporting that an unnamed source has said the Broncos would be willing to trade Orton to the Raiders for a draft pick. Which makes sense if Denver is willing to go all-in with Tim Tebow (and at this point, why not?).

The news on Garrard is somewhat surprising, since we all kind of figured Garrard was just sitting back and waiting for the exact right offer to come to him.

Garrard supposedly could have gone to Miami after Chad Henne suffered a season-ending injury, but instead he declined, because as a Miami Herald source pointed out, “he simply didn't feel like playing right now. Garrard apparently talked to the team and showed no great desire to play. He is, according to this version of the story, quite content sitting out this season, spending time with his family, and hitting free agency next March.”

So, what now? Well, if Oakland could get Orton for a relatively cheap price, it probably should go for it. Even if it means the Raiders basically would be sitting out the 2012 draft.

But in order not to play Kyle Boller or Terrelle Pryor – or, for that matter, punter Shane Lechler – that might be worth it.

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